Pohick Church of Virginia has a long and celebrated history. Originally known as the Occaquan Church, it was renamed to Pohick Church because it was relocated near Pohick Creek in present-day Lorton. Although today Pohick is known as an Episcopalian Church, at the time of its inception it was simply known as an Anglican Church. It was organized using the parish system, established in Truro Parish in 1733. Later, the Episcopalian Church emerged out of the growing discord between the American colonies and England during the Revolutionary period.1 Among the most notable attendees of Pohick were George Mason, William Fairfax, and George Washington.
Origins of Pohick Church
In 1732, the Virginia General Assembly designated the area north of the Occaquan River as the Truro Parish. Pohick, being the only church in that area at the time, became the Parish Church of Truro. The first iteration of the Pohick Church was vested from 1733 to 1767, when the church was moved from Occoquan to near Pohick Run to be more assessible to parishioners.2
The connection between the Washington family and Pohick Church can be traced back to the nomination of the first rector, Charles Green, who was sponsored by Augustine Washington (George Washington’s father) on August 19, 1736. Following in his father's footsteps, George Washington became a vestryman of the Truro Parish in July of 1765. Part of the vestry's responsibility was to oversee matters of money, maintenance, and the election of clergy. In addition to these duties, Washington was also entrusted with the title of Church Warden and was influential in the relocation of Pohick Church to its current site.3 Washington remained a loyal vestryman of the Church until his attention was redirected to matters of war and country. After the disestablishment of the Anglican Church amid the American Revolution, Pohick Church faced adversity after the war. George Washington assisted with the funding of Christ Church in nearby Alexandria beginning in 1770s.
Relationship with the Mount Vernon Ladies Association
After facing challenges and disrepair due to the Civil War, the church began efforts to rebuild and restore the building in 1865. The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) shares a rich history with Pohick Church. The MVLA purchased Mount Vernon from John Augustine Washington, great-grandnephew of George Washington in 1858. As they rehabilitated and maintained the property, they supported the church’s efforts to rebuild at the turn of the twentieth century. Harrison H. Dodge, the Superintendent of Mount Vernon of Mount Vernon from 1885 to 1937, assisted in these efforts and was buried in the Pohick cemetery in 1937.
The members of Pohick showed their appreciation for the founder of the MVLA, Ann Pamela Cunningham, by dedicating a pew to her in 1912. The inscription on the pew read, “Ann Pamela Cunningham, First Regent of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, 1853-1874. Although the dedication can no longer be found in the Church today, the MVLA continued to support Pohick Church through material assistance and donations as they rennovated.4
Joseph M. Meyer, Ph.D. University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, updated by Zoie Horecny, Ph.D., 24 July 2025
Notes:
1. See The American Church History Series, Vol. 7, eds., Rev. Philip Schaff, D.D. et al. (New York: The Christian Literature Co., 1895).
2. Philip Slaughter, The History of Truro Parish in Virginia, ed. Rev. Edward L. Goodwin (Philadelphia: George W. Jacobs & Company, 1907), 10.
3. See Slaughter, 42-8, for more information on how changes in the surveying of lands impacted Washington's election to the vestry.
4. Minutes of the Council of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association of the Union (Kansas City: Hudson-Kimberly Publishing Company, 1900), 51; Grace King, Mount Vernon on the Potomac: History of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association of the Union (New York: Macmillan Company, 1929), 368.
Bibliography:
Carter, Afred B. Works Progress Administration of Virginia Historical Inventory. Fairfax County. Pohick Episcopal Church. 1937.
Colonial Churches: A Series of Sketches of Churches in the Original Colony of Virginia. Richmond, Va.: Southern Churchman Co., 1907.
King, Grace. Mount Vernon on the Potomac: History of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association of the Union. New York: Macmillan Company, 1929.
Netherton, Nan and Ross D. for the Fairfax Historical Landmarks Preservation Commission. The Notes on the History and Architecture of Pohick Church Truro Parish Fairfax County Virginia. 1968.
Slaughter, Philip. The History of Truro Parish in Virginia, ed. Rev. Edward L. Goodwin. Philadelphia: George W. Jacobs & Company, 1907.
